Question

A student is asked to find the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle. The length of one leg is 34 ​centimeters, and the length of the other leg is 23 centimeters. The student incorrectly says that the length of the hypotenuse is 7.5 centimeters.

Find the length of the hypotenuse of the right triangle to the nearest tenth of a centimeter.

Answer 1

1. Use the Pythagorean Theorem because this is a right triangle:

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

34^2 + 23^2 = c^2

√ 1685 = c

c = 41

answer: 41